1. Field
Embodiments of the present invention relate to a cord assembly for replacement of an outer beam and a carrier including the same which may provide an improved degree of freedom in design and prevent damage to the carrier.
2. Description of the Related Art
A disc brake installed in a vehicle is generally used to decelerate or stop a vehicle, or to keep a vehicle stopped. The disc brake generates braking force by squeezing pads against both sides of a circular plate-shaped disc rotating together with a wheel.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, such disc brake 1 includes a caliper housing 10 in which a piston 12 movable forward and backward by hydraulic brake pressure is installed, a carrier 20 at which a pair of pad plates 2 with attached pads is installed and which is fixed to a vehicle body, a disc D rotating together with a wheel, with a portion of an outer circumferential surface of the disc inserted between the pair of pad plates 2 and 3.
The carrier 20 is mounted on a knuckle (not shown) of the vehicle body through bolts such that a pair of pad plates 2 and 3 having the disc D therebetween is installed inside the carrier 20 to be slidable. In addition, the carrier 20, which is a component that supports a torque generated when braking is performed by the disc brake 1, is loaded by force in the rotational direction S of the disc D, and is thus provided with an outer beam 22 so as not to be deformed by the force.
When a driver steps on a brake pedal (not shown) while driving, the disc brake 1 configured as above is operated in such a way that hydraulic brake pressure formed in a master cylinder (not shown) is transferred into a cylinder 11 of the caliper housing 10, and the piston 12 arranged in the cylinder 11 moves forward. As the piston 12 moves forward, a pad attached to the pad plate 2 adjacent to the piston 12 is immediately pressed against one side of the disc. At the same time, since there is residual hydraulic pressure in the cylinder 11, the caliper housing 10 itself moves in the opposite direction to movement of the piston 12 such that a finger 13 arranged on one side of the caliper housing 10 opposite to the cylinder 11 pushes the other pad plate 3 toward the other side of the disc D to press the other pad plate 3 against the other side of the disc D. Accordingly, braking is performed as the pair of the pad plates 2 and 3 is pressed against the disc D.
When braking pressure is applied by the disc brake 1 to the disc D rotating at high speed, large friction is generated. That is, due to tangential force generated by rotational torque when the brake is applied, most load is applied by the rotational torque to a portion of the carrier 20 which is in the direction S toward which the disc D rotates, and thus the carrier 1 may often be deformed. To prevent such deformation of the carrier 20, an outer beam 22 may be necessary.
With reference to FIG. 2, when the brake is applied, the rotational torque is generated at portion A of the carrier 20 which is in the direction S in which the disc D rotates and most load is applied to a portion A. In order to arrange a portion B of the carrier 20 to support load from the rotational torque applied to portion A, the outer beam 22 may need to be arranged to connect both ends of the carrier 20. That is, since the outer beam 22 serves to support load by tension and bending of the carrier, the outer beam 22 may need to maintain a certain volume.
However, the carrier 20, which is manufactured by processing a casting material, is generally integrated with the outer beam 22. Accordingly, in conventional cases, when the carrier 20 integrated with the outer beam 22 is manufactured, design may be much limited due to interference with a working tool or a gap between a wheel and the caliper housing 10. In addition, for a compact vehicle, the space for installation of the outer beam 22 may not be sufficient. Thus, the volume of the outer beam 22 formed outside the carrier 20 may be reduced to ensure the gap between the wheel and the caliper housing 10, but in this case the outer beam 22 may fail to withstand the rotational torque and be bent and in the worst case may be fractured.